Arielle Moonfall stopped dead in her tracks.
The forest around her felt… different. The air was heavier, the silence too loud. Even the leaves seemed to hold their breath.
What the hell is going on? she thought, gripping the strap of her bag tighter.
She'd been walking for hours, trying to clear her head. Moving to a quiet town had seemed like a good idea. Away from chaos, away from everything that reminded her of her past mistakes. But now, the forest itself seemed to warn her.
And then she saw him.
He was standing there, between the trees, like he had been carved from shadows. Tall. Dark. Unmoving. His eyes… silver. No, not silver—they glowed. And when they met hers, she felt it.
A pull, violent and consuming, like someone had grabbed her chest and squeezed. Her knees buckled slightly.
What is happening to me?
"You…" His voice was low, dangerous, and for a terrifying second, Arielle felt as if it wasn't him speaking. It was the forest. The moon. Something ancient.
"You're mine."
She blinked. What? That couldn't be right. She had never seen this man before in her life.
"I—I don't even know you," she stammered.
He stepped back, as if her denial burned him. "Then why does it feel like you've always been mine?"
Arielle's heart hammered. Her wolf—something she didn't even know she had—stirred, furious, desperate. She shook her head. This isn't real. It can't be real.
And then he said it. The words that would change everything.
"I reject you."
Her chest froze. Her blood boiled. What?
"No! You can't just—" She swallowed, trying to force her voice steady. "You don't get to reject me. Not like this!"
His jaw tightened. His wolf growled low inside him. "I said no. You have no idea what you are. Stay away."
Arielle's breath came in sharp, uneven bursts. Part of her wanted to run, to leave immediately. Part of her—no, all of her—wanted to throw herself at him, demand him, and claim what had already been pulled from the Moon.
Instead, she turned and walked away. Her steps were heavy, her chest burning with the invisible thread between them. Every beat of her heart screamed his name even as she tried to convince herself she hated him.
But I don't.